Chroma Cascade User manual

Chroma-Q™
Cascade™
User Manual
Version 1.3 September 2012
PN: 109-0500

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Warranty Statement
C roma-Q warrants to t e original purc aser, wit proof of purc ase, t at its delivered products s all be free from defects in
material and workmans ip under normal use for a period of 12 mont s from date of s ipment.
C roma-Q will repair, or at its option, provide an equivalent item or replace, t e defective product during t e stated warranty
period. T is warranty applies only to t e repair or replacement of t e product and only w en t e product is properly andled,
installed and maintained according to C roma-Q instructions. T is warranty excludes defects resulting from improper
andling, storage, installation, acts of God, fire, vandalism or civil disturbances. Purc aser must notify C roma-Q in writing
wit in 14 days of noticing t e defect. T is warranty excludes field labour or service c arges related to t e repair or
replacement of t e product.
T e warranty contained erein s all not extend to any finis ed goods or spare parts from w ic any serial number as been
removed or w ic ave been damaged or rendered defective (a) as a result of normal wear and tear, willful or accidental
damage, negligence, misuse or abuse; (b) due to water or moisture, lig tning, windstorm, abnormal voltage, armonic
distortion, dust, dirt, corrosion or ot er external causes; (c) by operation outside t e specifications contained in t e user
documentation; (d) by t e use of spare parts not manufactured or sold by C roma-Q or by t e connection or integration of
ot er equipment or software not approved by C roma-Q unless t e Customer provides acceptable proof to C roma-Q t at
t e defect or damage was not caused by t e above; (e) by modification, repair or service by anyone ot er t an C roma-Q,
w o as not applied for and been approved by C roma-Q to do suc modification, repair or service unless t e Customer
provides acceptable proof to C roma-Q t at t e defect or damage was not caused by t e above; (f) due to procedures,
deviating from procedures specified by C roma-Q or (g) due to failure to store, install, test, commission, maintain, operate or
use finis ed goods and spare parts in a safe and reasonable manner and in accordance wit C roma-Q’s instructions ( ) by
repair or replacement of engines wit out factory training.
T e warranty contained erein s all not apply to finis ed goods or spare parts w ic are sold “as is”, as “second- and”, as
used”, as “demo” or under similar qualifications or to Consumables (“Consumables” is defined as any part(s) of goods or
part(s) for use wit goods, w ic part(s) of goods or part(s) for use wit goods are consumed during t e operation of t e
goods and w ic part(s) of goods or part(s) for use wit goods require replacement from time to time by a user suc as, but
not limited to, lig t bulbs).
T e warranty contained erein s all not apply, unless t e total purc ase price for t e defective finis ed goods or spare parts
as been paid by t e due date for payment.
T e warranty contained erein applies only to t e original purc aser and are not assignable or transferable to any
subsequent purc aser or end-user.
T is warranty is subject to t e s ipment of t e goods, wit in t e warranty period, to t e C romaQ warranty returns
department, by t e purc aser, at t e purc asers expense. If no fault is found, C romaQ will c arge t e purc aser for t e
subsequent return of t e goods.
C roma-Q reserves t e rig t to c ange t e warranty period wit out prior notice and wit out incurring obligation and
expressly disclaims all warranties not stated in t is limited warranty.

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Dis laimer
T e information contained erein is offered in good fait and is believed to be accurate. However, because conditions and
met ods of use of our products are beyond our control, t is information s ould not be used in substitution for customer's
tests to ensure t at C roma-Q products are safe, effective, and fully satisfactory for t e intended end use. Suggestions of
use s all not be taken as inducements to infringe any patent. C roma-Q sole warranty is t at t e product will meet t e sales
specifications in effect at t e time of s ipment. Your exclusive remedy for breac of suc warranty is limited to refund of
purc ase price or replacement of any product s own to be ot er t an as warranted.
C roma-Q reserves t e rig t to c ange or make alteration to devices and t eir functionality wit out notice due to our on
going researc and development.
T e C roma-Q Cascade as been designed specifically for t e professional entertainment lig ting industry. Regular
maintenance s ould be performed to ensure t at t e products perform well in t e entertainment environment.
If you experience any difficulties wit any C roma-Q products please contact your selling dealer. If your selling dealer is
unable to elp please contact support@c roma-q.com. If t e selling dealer is unable to satisfy your servicing needs, please
contact t e following, for full factory service:
Outside North Ameri a: North Ameri a:
Tel: [phone] Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone] Fax: [phone]
support@c roma-q.com support@c roma-q.com
For furt er information please visit t e C roma-Q website at www.c roma-q.com.
C roma-Q is a trademark, for more information on t is visit www.c roma-q.com/trademarks.
T e rig ts and owners ip of all trademarks are recognised.
Approvals

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Table of Contents
1. Produ t Overview ……………...…………………………………………………….………... 4
2. Operation ……………...…………………………………………………….………... 4
2.1 DMX addressing …………………………………………………………. 4
2.2 Control and power cables ……………………………………………….…………. 5
2.3 Troubles ooting …………………………………………………….……. 7
2.4 Gel loading / replacement ………………………………………………………..… 7
2.5 Tec nical overview ………………………………………………………..… 9
2.6 Tec nical specifications ………………………………………………………..… 10
3. Charts ……………...…………………………………………………….………... 11
3.1 Colour c art (Library mode) …………………………………………………………. 11
3.2 Colour c art (Creative mode) ……………………………………………….…………. 11

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1. Produ t overview
T e C roma-Q Cascade is a scrolling colour c anger designed to operate on t e ANSI E1.11 USITT DMX 512-A protocol.
T is multiplexed serial data system allows for t e individual addressing of multiple units on one data cabling system. T e unit
utilises one or two DMX c annels depending on t e mode of operation.
T e unit is addressed by setting t e t ree rotary BCD switc es, on t e rear panel. Next to t ese rotary switc es are four DIP
switc es. T ese switc es are used to select mode of operation, scrolling speed, & cooling fan speed. (Details of t ese
settings are given later in section 3.1)
T e unit operates using subtractive colour mixing met od. T is met od relies on aving a full spectrum source (w ite lig t) &
t en filtering out some of t e colours to ac ieve t e desired ue & saturation. T e secondary (subtractive) colours are Cyan,
Magenta & Yellow. By mixing two of t e basic subtractive filters at different saturations, you are able to mix undreds of
different colours wit in one unit. To furt er t e creative process, t e primary (additive) colours (red, green & blue) ave been
added to t e back gel string.
T is unit combines t e secondary colours by using two gel strings. T e c oice was made to get maximum reliability,
maximum lig t output & to keep t e dimensions & weig t to a minimum.
T e C roma-Q Cascade is supplied power & control signals by means of two 4-pin XLR style connectors on t e rear panel,
allowing multiple units to be daisy-c ained into t e same line of cabling. Patc ing t e output from t e last unit back into t e
power supply will terminate t e DMX for eac c ain line & ensure even power voltage across all scrollers in t at c ain.
Note: T e quantity of C roma-Q Cascade colour c angers, & maximum cable lengt per power supply output is dependant
upon t e size of PSU/splitterbox used (see later in t is manual for details).
T e C roma-Q Cascade is equipped wit two internal cooling fans & two diagnostic LED indicators (found on t e underside
of t e unit) s owing Power & DMX signal presence.
2. Operation
2.1 DMX addressing
2.2 Control and power cables
2.3 Troubles ooting
2.4 Gel loading/replacement
2.5 Tec nical overview
2.6 Tec nical specifications
2.1 DMX addressing
T e unit is addressed by setting t e t ree rotary switc es to t e required DMX address.
Remember to allow for t e number of c annels used, w ic is dependant on t e units mode of operation. (See below)

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Modes of operation
T e C roma-Q Cascade as two modes of operation, Creative mode & Library mode.
The Creative mode is enabled by setting dipswitc #1 to t e "off" position.
In t is mode you use one DMX c annel to control t e eac individual colour string, giving you maximum flexibility. T e first
DMX c annel will control t e front string (Yellow-Cyan) & t e second DMX c annel controls t e back string (Yellow-Magenta).
You can speed up t e movement of t e scrollers by turning dipswitc #2 on in t is mode.
The Library mode is design to give you quick access to a 100 pre-programmed colours. Turning on t e dipswitc #1 "on"
will give you access t e Library mode. T is is ac ieved by entering a percentage value in t e console (from 0% to 100%).
You can refer to t e c art (section 5.1) to find w ic percentage matc es wit w ic colour. In t is mode dipswitc #2 will
select between fixed speed between colours w en it is in t e "off" position, or variable speed controlled by t e next DMX
c annel if it is in t e "on" position.
SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 Mode DMX Channels
Creative 2
OFF OFF X X Regular gel speed 2
OFF ON X X Hig gel speed 2
Library 1 or 2
ON OFF X X Fixed gel speed 1
ON ON X X Controlled gel speed 2
Fan Speed
X X OFF OFF Hig fan speed
X X ON OFF Medium fan speed
X X OFF ON Medium fan speed
X X ON ON Low fan speed
Note:
a) Do not power lig ts wit out powering up t e scroller first. Fan must be running in order to protect gels from
premature failure.
b) Hig fan speed is recommended on all lig ting fixtures of 750 Watts & above.
c) Use of a ig quality IR filter medium on ellipsoidal lig ting fixtures is strongly recommended, especially t ose wit
beam angles of less t an 30 degrees.
2.2 Control and power ables
T e C roma-Q Cascade utilises an XLR 4-pin cable system. T is is used for power & data transfer. Pins 2 & 3 are for ANSI
E1.11 USITT DMX 512-A data. Pins 1 & 4 are for 24VDC power.
Note: It is very important to ensure t at t e drain wire from t e cable s ield is connected to bot XLR connector cases. W en
assembling XLR 4-pin cables, eat s rink s ould be used on eac individual pin to prevent s ort circuits.
Damage will occur if power connections s ort to data connections (see below).

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Detail of connector wiring
T e correct wiring between male & female connectors is 'one to one'.
Pin # Pin # Minimum Cable size
1 Ground (-ve) 2.00mm² (14 AWG)
2 Control data minus (-) 0.35mm² (22 AWG)
3 Control data plus (+) 0.35mm² (22 AWG)
4 24V DC (+ve) 2.00mm² (14 AWG)
C assis Cable s ield/drain wire 0.25mm² (24 AWG)
Note: Cable lengt s ould not exceed more t an 60m/200' wit return line.
Conne tions
Correct connection of t e units to t e power supply will decrease t e c ances of units malfunctioning due to cabling
problems. Please follow t ese basic rules.
a) Use t e type & gauge of cable wit proper connectors.
b) Keep cable runs as s ort as possible to reduce line loss.
c) Always use a return cable for eac run. T is will ensure balanced DC power to all units, t at t e line is correctly
terminated, & all units receive power if one link of t e c ain is faulty.

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2.3 Troubleshooting
T e 2 LED indicators aid in t e trouble s ooting of t e C roma-Q Cascade system. Green LED indicator = data, red LED
indicator = power. T ese LED indicators are located on t e on t e underside of eac unit.
Symptom Possible Cause Solution
Unit does not respond to DMX control,
but green DMX LED indicator is on.
Rotary switc settings may not be
correct.
Wrong address selected.
C eck rotary switc settings.
Unit does not respond to DMX & green
DMX LED indicator is off.
Bad cable. No DMX present at
Splitter/PSU unit.
C eck cable & DMX run from console.
Units run at different speeds. Dipswitc settings may be different.
Cable lengt s are too long.
C eck dipswitc settings. C eck t e
cable lengt configuration.
Ensure t ere is a cable return line in
t e system.
Units ave dim LED indicators & run
slowly
Overloading of colour c anger c ain or
cable runs too long. PSU overloaded.
C eck voltage levels on last unit.
S ould not be below 20VDC.
Green DMX LED indicator is off on one
unit.
Bad cable or blown transceiver IC in
t e scroller.
C eck cable or send unit for repair.
Only one gel string runs. Mec anical (or electrical) failure in t e
unit.
Turn unit on & off. Return unit for
repair.
Gel burns too quickly. Fans ave failed. Poorly optimised
lamp focus in fixture. IR filter medium
not fitted.
C eck fans are operating. Optimise
lamp focus. Replace gel strings &
install IR filter.
Note: A ig percentage of problems are a direct result of poor cable & corrupt DMX control signals.
2.4 Gel loading/repla ement
Note:
a) See also t e drawing section (4.1) of t is manual.
b) T e power does not ave to be on to load gels.
Introdu tion
T e C roma-Q Cascade comes wit two specially graduated colour strings already installed. S ould t ese gel strings
become damaged or worn out t ey must be replaced to ensure t e optimum performance of t e colour scroller. T e gel
material is a proprietary design long-life substrate. Replacement gel strings may be purc ased from your dealer. Substitute
gels strings s ould not be used as t ese will effect t e operation of t e unit & may cause damage to t e unit itself.
Eac gel string consists of two series of graduated colours. T e rear gel string (yellow/magenta) starts wit yellow, t en clear
in t e middle, t en magenta at t e end (plus primary red, green, & blue).
T e front gel string (yellow/cyan) starts wit yellow, t en clear in t e middle, t en cyan at t e end.
C anging t e gel strings is not difficult, but it may take some time & practice to accomplis , if t e user is not familiar wit
t ese types of scrollers.
You will need:
1 x Set of C roma-Q Cascade gel strings
1 x Roll of flat back ad esive tape (i.e. 'Artists' tape)
1 x P illips No.1 screwdriver

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Preparation
1. Unplug t e unit & remove it from t e lig ting fixture to w ic it is attac ed.
Using a P illips No. 1 screwdriver, remove t e four M3 × 4mm screws olding t e front cover onto t e unit. Place
t e unit, wit t e mounting plate facing down, on a flat surface & carefully remove t e front cover.
2. Remove all t e pieces of t e old gel strings. T is may involve unwinding t e gels from t e Take-Up Reels (TUR).
Exercise caution to avoid damaging t e gel transport mec anism.
Repla ing the rear gel string (yellow/magenta)
Note: See t e drawing section of t is manual.
1. Place t e unit on a flat surface wit t e motor/fan/electronics section on your rig t- and side. Take t e
yellow/magenta gel string & attac t e gel tab (on t e yellow end) to t e ook on t e TUR (Take-Up Reel) anc or of
t e rear fixed s aft.
2. Use a small piece of flat back tape 25 x 25mm (1" x 1") to secure eac side of t e gel to t e TUR ubs on eit er
side.
3. Manually turn t e fixed gear of t e s aft to slowly roll t e gel string onto t e TUR. Continue rolling t e gel onto t e
TUR until t e ot er end is reac ed.
4. Firmly olding t e gear of t e rear fixed s aft to stop it moving, gently pull t e gel tab towards you. T is ensures
t at t e gel is tig tly on t e TUR.
5. Rotate w ole t e unit so t at t e motor/fan/electronics section on your left and side. Place t e gel tab beside t e
anc or on t e rear spring s aft.

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6. Wit your left and, firmly old t e gel tab next to t e anc or ook (do not attac it yet). Wit your rig t and, turn
t e anc or ub of t e spring s aft towards you counter-clockwise for five complete turns (as you turn t e s aft you
s ould feel t e spring tension increasing).
7. After tensioning, old t e anc or steady & ook t e gel tab onto t e anc or.
8. Use a small piece of flat back tape 25 x 25mm (1" x 1") to secure eac side of t e gel to t e TUR ubs on eit er
side.
9. Manually roll some of t e gel string onto t e spring TUR to c eck it is seating itself properly.
Repla ing the front gel string (yellow/ yan)
1. Place t e unit on a flat surface wit t e motor/fan/electronics section on your left- and side. Take t e yellow/cyan
gel string & attac t e gel tab (on t e yellow end) to t e ook on t e TUR anc or of t e front fixed s aft.
2. Use a small piece of flat back tape 25 x 25mm (1" x 1") to secure eac side of t e gel to t e TUR ubs on eit er
side.
3. Manually turn t e fixed gear of t e s aft to slowly roll t e gel string onto t e TUR. Continue rolling t e gel onto t e
TUR until t e ot er end is reac ed.
4. Firmly olding t e gear of t e front fixed s aft to stop it moving, gently pull t e gel tab towards you. T is ensures
t at t e gel is tig tly on t e TUR.
5. Rotate w ole t e unit so t at t e motor/fan/electronics section on your rig t and side. Place t e gel tab beside t e
anc or on t e rear spring s aft.
6. Wit your left and, firmly old t e gel tab next to t e anc or ook (do not attac it yet). Wit your rig t and, turn
t e anc or ub of t e spring s aft towards you counter-clockwise for five complete turns (as you turn t e s aft you
s ould feel t e spring tension increasing).
7. After tensioning, old t e anc or steady & ook t e gel tab onto t e anc or.
8. Use a small piece of flat back tape 25 x 25mm (1" x 1") to secure eac side of t e gel to t e TUR ubs on eit er
side.
9. Manually roll some of t e gel string onto t e spring TUR to c eck it is seating itself properly.
Completion and testing
1. Plug in t e scroller and c eck t at it goes t roug t e initialisation sequence correctly. C eck t at t e gels run
smoot ly and do not bind up on t e TUR's.
2. Unplug t e unit, replace t e front cover and secure wit t e M3 screws.
3. Run a test sequence to allow t e gel strings to bed-in. T e unit does not ave to be attac ed to a lig ting fixture to
perform t is operation. T is sequence can eit er be programmed on your control desk, or you can use t e unit's
inbuilt test sequence by setting t e address switc es to 601. It is recommended t at you run t is sequence for 10
minutes or 4 times end-to-end.
Note: T e number of turns may vary slig tly between take up reel spools due to tolerances in t e tension spring, owever no
more t an five turns s ould be required to tension gel string.
Note: Poorly optimsed lamps in lig ting fixtures may result in premature gel failure.
2.5 Te hni al overview
T e C roma-Q Cascade unit is essentially two scrollers in one package. T e colour mixing system employs an opto-
electronic system for accurate positioning of t e gel. W en t e unit initially receives power, it will go t roug a calibration
sequence. T e purpose of t e initial calibration sequence during power up is to determine t e total lengt of t e gel string,
and t erefore t e position of t e different gels.
Note: Over time t e gel string may warp slig tly. T is may alter t e positions of t e gels relative to t eir pre-programmed
DMX values and t erefore some fine-tuning may be required.

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T e motors ave an optical encoder feedback system. T e purpose of w ic is to convert motor revolutions in to electronic
pulses, and also to determine w ic direction t e motor is turning.
T e electronic cards consist of t ree key components: L298 motor driver, 75176 Transceiver and a Processor. T e L298 is
a true digital device receiving two PWM signals to operate speed and direction. T e 75176 transceiver operates in t e
receive configuration to convert serial protocol to a TTL level. T e processor is an OTP part containing proprietary software.
T e majority of electronics problems are usually created by external factors suc as s orted cables, etc. T e 75176
transceivers are susceptible to damage if 24VDC is present on t e DMX signal lines.
Routine maintenance can prevent most mec anically based problems. T e motor mounting plate can be adjusted to control
tension on t e belt. Excessive belt tension is often t e cause of noise and poor performance. Conversely, loose motor belts
can cause accuracy problems.
Troubles ooting is a process of elimination. First, rule out t e ot er field factors (i.e. faulty cables, power sources). If an
electronics problem is suspected try replacing t e electronics card first. If accuracy problems s ould occur and mec anical
problems ave been ruled out, replace optical sensors. For tec nical advice and/or parts, please contact your selling dealer
or t e offices listed in t is manual.
2.6 Te hni al spe ifi ations
Dimensions: 306mm (w) × 340mm ( ) × 100mm (d)
12" × 13.4" × 4"
Weig t: 2.6kg/5.6lbs
Rear aperture: 178mm/7"
Front aperture: 241mm/9.5"
Colour media: Proprietary design long life substrate
Cooling: 2 fan design
Cooling Speed: 4 speeds
DMX protocol: ANSI E1.11 USITT DMX 512-A
DMX addressing: 3 × rotary BCD switc (512 c annels)
Working Voltage: 24VDC (+/- 10%)
Power consumption: 1.5 PU (see note below)
Connectors: XLR-4 (male) in and XLR-4 (female) t roug
Body material: Aluminium
Body color: Black powder coat (ot er colours available, P.O.A.)
Mounting plate: Universal mounting system fits 160mm × 254mm/6¼" x 10"
Approvals: EN55103-1 and 2, IEC 60950, FCC Part 15 and ICES-003 Class A
Note: To simplify t e c oice of power supply we use t e "PU" (Power Unit) to calculate t e load requirements of t e
C roma-Q system. For example a PS-08 will supply up to 8 PU's, so you can plug-in 5 C roma-Q Cascade (5 × 1.5PU =
7.5PU) into a PS-08.

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3. Charts
3.1 Library mode
3.2 Creative mode